Fintech Strategies: Build, Buy or Partner

Panel Discussion Date & Time:
September 17th at 9:00 AM

Panel Discussion Description:
All financial service organizations that want to offer and/or utilize a fintech solution must determine one of three paths: Build, Buy or Partner. This panel discussion will discuss how organizations can evaluate the current fintech needs, marketplace and potential opportunities. Further, the panelist will discuss how enterprises can partner with venture capitalist firms to gain strategic insight into the dynamic fintech marketplace and learn about upcoming fintech trends.

Jeff Carter - West Loop Ventures - US Fintech Symposium

Jeffrey Carter is a general partner at West Loop Ventures. West Loop Ventures is based in Chicago and invests in B2B Fin Tech companies that are revolutionizing the backbone of finance.In April of 2007, he co-founded Hyde Park Angels and spearheaded the growth and development of one of the most active angel groups in the United States. He is a former independent trader and member of the CME Board of Directors and was part of a small group that transformed CME from an open outcry exchange to the largest electronic exchange in the world. In 1998, CME was worth $182,134,000 in membership enterprise value. Today it’s worth $55 Billion.

He is a graduate of the University of Illinois College of Business, and has an MBA from the University of Chicago, Booth Graduate School of Business. Mr. Carter is a long suffering fan of Chicago pro sports teams. As a lifelong Chicago Cubs fan (see his Twitter profile picture) he will attend Chicago White Sox games at Guaranteed Rate Field if you have good seats and the first beer is on you. He is a free market advocate based on his experiences with free transparent marketplaces.

Sunny Parikh is a Vice President at the Partnership Fund for New York City, a $170 million venture capital fund founded by Henry Kravis. As an evergreen fund, all of the Fund’s profits are reinvested in other New York organizations that catalyze the growth of new industries and open opportunities for all New Yorkers. As part of his role at the Partnership Fund, Sunny leads the FinTech Innovation Lab, where growth-stage technology companies collaborate with senior executives from 43 leading insurance companies and financial institutions. Previously, Sunnywas Director of Strategy & Finance at RedVision, a real estate technology company sold to First American. Prior to RedVision, Sunny was part of the investment team at Updata Partners focusing on growth-equity technology companies. Sunny began his career as an Investment Banker at ThinkEquity Partners. He is a graduate of the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University.

Ben Schack is the Head of U.S. Digital Partnerships for BMO Financial Group. Ben focuses on identifying and executing on partnership opportunities with fintechs, big techs, incubators, accelerators, industry consortia, and venture capital firms. Ben works with line of business leaders to determine when partnership strategies can best deliver upon business goals, helps identify areas of imminent disruption, and assesses fintech acquisition opportunities.

He joined BMO in 2013 to establish a technology strategy capability for the United States. In this role he worked with business and technology leaders to build multiyear plans that better aligned technology to the business strategy. He later led the technology PMO and centers of excellence for business analysis and quality assurance. Finally, Ben served as the Lead Technology Officer for US Lending & Collections, where he was accountable for strategic planning, project delivery, and day to day maintenance.

Ben holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Notre Dame, and an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. He and his family reside in Chicago.

Devon Sherman is the Program Director of MassChallenge FinTech, a public-private partnership that makes it easier for large enterprises and startups to work together in the financial services industry. Prior to joining MassChallenge, Devon was a global strategist at State Street Corporation in its Boston, New York and London offices. At State Street, she sourced and evaluated FinTech startups for partnership opportunities, drove research for market entry and expansion opportunities in Latin America, the Nordics and the Middle East, and developed competitive intelligence for C-suite executives. She has mentored FinTech startups at MassChallenge’s early-stage accelerator and London’s Level39 accelerator. Devon is a magna cum laude graduate of Harvard University, where she played Varsity Soccer, and a graduate of Stanford Graduate School of Business’ Ignite Program.